Family Structure
by Tempest Rose
Summary: When Nioh and Yagyuu's best kept secret becomes common knowledge, things change within the team dynamic.Rating for language in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Prince of Tennis, but I do own Mika. I know I shouldn't be starting another story but this one just won't leave me alone. Nioh and Yagyuu will probably be out of character here but it works for my purposes and me. Lots of fluff ahead so be warned.**

"Why are you two in such a hurry to get out of here today?" Yukimura asked Nioh and Yagyuu as the doubles pair rushed to get dressed after practice. The team was all in high school now, and even though Akaya was a first year, Yukimura had still named him as a regular. Needless to say it had taken the blue haired boy less than a month to become the captain of the team the year before.

Nioh glanced over at Yagyuu as he buttoned up his shirt. The look in his eyes seemed to ask the Gentleman what course of action would be best, and Yagyuu returned that with a look of his own that said he would handle things. "Please forgive us Yukimura-kun, but Nioh-kun and I are in a bit of a hurry today. If you are truly that curious, feel free to ask us in the morning. Otherwise, I would consider it a personal favor if you stayed out of our private affairs."

Yukimura instinctively leaned back as he blinked in shock, never before had he heard Yagyuu speak to anyone in such a cold manner. Regaining his composure quickly, Yukimura school his expression and used his 'buchou' voice to reply. "Very well then. I hope you two have a good evening, and I will be expecting a full explanation of your behavior first thing in the morning. If necessary I am prepared to cancel practice so that we can all hear what you have to say."

Reaching for the handle of the door to exit the locker room, Nioh responded in a sadly cryptic way. "That's probably not the worst idea in the world. It ain't exactly a short story after all."

Less than fifteen minutes later, Nioh and Yagyuu had reached the far side of Rikkai's campus where the preschool division was located. Walking up to the building, the two switched from the roles that their friends were familiar with and into the roles of parents without any conscious effort. Very few people knew that Nioh and Yagyuu had been living together since the end of their third year of middle school, and even fewer were aware of the reason for that. While the boys had been at the U-17 camp a tragedy had befallen the Yagyuu family. Hiroshi's cousin and his wife were killed by a drunk driver one night, thus orphaning their daughter who was barely a year old at the time. Since they had both been orphans themselves and had no siblings, Tatsuya and Mari had chosen Hiroshi to be Mika's godfather. Tatsuya had also been an incredibly successful attorney, and had written iron clad wills for himself and his wife that would ensure Hiroshi got custody of Mika if anything were to happen to her parents, whether Hiroshi was legally an adult or not. Thanks to that little clause, and the fact that they had left everything they had to him, Hiroshi now owned a house and was financially independent from his parents without needing a job. Really, it had only been common sense for Hiroshi to invite Nioh to come and live with him; he knew his boyfriend's home life was absolutely abysmal. And since Hiroshi's mother was also a lawyer, she had been more than happy to draw up joint custody paperwork, making Masaharu just as much Mika's parent as Hiroshi himself.

"Daddy! Papa! You're here! Is it time to go home now?" Yagyuu Mika exclaimed as she spotted her fathers entering her classroom. Running up to the pair of boys as her pigtails bounced and swung with each step, Mika tackled Masaharu's knees into the biggest hug that she could manage.

Sweeping his three year old daughter up into his arms to give her a kiss, Masaharu smiled brightly at his little girl. "Yep, we are. How was your day baby?"

Mika smiled and cuddled up to Masaharu. "It was really good Daddy. We got to play with clay in art class today. I made a tennis ball."

"Really now? Well I'm glad you had a good day. Let's go get your shoes on while Papa talks to your teacher ok?"

Mika nodded as she was set back down. "Ok Daddy. Can we have stir fry for dinner tonight please?"

Masaharu chuckled softly as he patted his daughter's head. "Yeah we can have stir fry for dinner. Do you want me to put red peppers in it for you?"

Mika's eyes lit up at Masaharu's question, red peppers were her favorite. "Yes please!"

Hiroshi was waiting for his lover and their child over by the shoe rack. He hadn't caught much of the conversation so he gave Masaharu a quizzical look over Mika's comment. Masaharu wrapped an arm around Hiroshi's waist in a one armed hug before explaining that he and Mika had been discussing dinner. Returning the hug and adding a peck on Masaharu's cheek, Hiroshi voiced an idea that had suddenly popped into his mind. "Do you think we should invite the team over for dinner this weekend?"

Masaharu frowned contemplatively for a moment before deciding. "Only if we can get Marui to bring dessert. You know I can't bake anything."

"Which is rather ironic considering that you can cook better than most of the chefs that work in the high end restaurants I've been to with my parents." Hiroshi smiled slightly as he picked Mika up once she had finished with her shoes.

Snorting in amusement, Masaharu took his boyfriend's hand as the trio began their trek home. "I doubt I'm that good, you're just biased. But I do appreciate the compliment."

Laying her head against Hiroshi's shoulder, Mika decided it was her turn to talk. "Papa, who are you and daddy inviting over for dinner?"

Hiroshi smiled at the little girl. "Our tennis teammates princess. Tomorrow we're going to tell them all about you, and I bet they'll even let you call them your uncles."

"Do you have to tell them about me?"

Masaharu looked over at Mika in surprise. "Do you not want them to know about you sweetie?"

Mika pouted at her daddy as she answered. "How am I supposed to be a good ninja if everyone knows who I am?"

Hiroshi eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion. "Where did you hear about ninjas?"

Giving her papa the most innocent look she could, Mika shrugged lightly as she answered. "A boy in my class told me about them."

Masaharu bit his lip to keep from laughing at Mika's logic- that would definitely be a story to share with the team. Smiling at his little girl, Masaharu let himself relax and just be happy. Worrying about how the team would react could wait until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok second installment ready to go. Time for the team to find out about Mika-chan.**

The next morning as they walked toward the locker room, Masaharu could feel himself tensing up. He had been able to hide his anxiety until they had dropped Mika off at preschool, but the closer he got to confronting his teammates, the more worried he became. Reaching out to grab Hiroshi's hand as they approached the door, Masaharu shuffled closer to his boyfriend in a silent request for comfort and reassurance.

Squeezing Masaharu's hand as he reached for the door, Hiroshi smiled at him and opened the door to the locker room. Walking inside, Hiroshi really wasn't surprised to see that none of the other regulars had changed into their tennis uniforms. Opting to sit near the door in case things went bad, Hiroshi set his school bag on the floor as he let Masaharu sit next to him. Hiroshi truly wanted to pull his lover down onto his lap to help keep the trickster calm, but that didn't really seem to be an appropriate seating arrangement for a locker room.

Clearing his throat slightly as his star doubles pair got themselves situated, Yukimura decided it was time to get things rolling. "Well then, Nioh-kun, Yagyuu-kun, care to explain why you two were in such a rush yesterday?"

Masaharu still hadn't let go of Hiroshi's hand, but he managed to look defiant as he answered. "We had to go and pick up our daughter from preschool. Normally we don't have to rush, but since practice ran long yesterday we had to hurry more than usual."

No one in the locker room spoke for a moment until Yanagi broke the silence, shock and surprise filling his voice. "You two have a daughter in preschool? You're sixteen and gay, how is that possible?"

Yagyuu sighed as he pulled his and Masaharu's joined hands into his lap. "When we were at the U-17 camp, my cousin Tatsuya and his wife were killed by a drunk driver. Both of them were orphans and my parents had been watching Mika-chan who was just over a year old at the time. Tatsuya and Mari left custody of Mika and all of their things to me, and thanks to their wills, I was able to have custody of Mika and move out into their house despite my age. I invited Masaharu to come and live with me because of how things were at his house, so we became a family. That year at Christmas, my mother filed the legal paperwork so that Masaharu's name is on the house and the bills and the custody papers. Since then we've been living together and raising Mika like adults while still going to school and being here on the team. Typically Mika has stayed with my parents when we have tournaments since she was too young to come along and sit still for so long, but she's starting to get old enough to maybe come along this year."

Akaya took a long look at his senpai before speaking. "You know what, that kinda explains a lot Nioh–senpai."

Masaharu looked up at his kohai in confusion. "Huh?"

Akaya smiled slightly as he leaned forward in his seat to explain. "You've been different toward me since I started high school this year. You act more like a big brother toward me some days and others it's like you're channeling my dad. But now that I know that you actually have a kid of your own, that makes a bit more sense. So, pictures?"

Masaharu laughed a bit as he reached for his wallet. "Sorry. I try to leave the dad part at home and not be that guy here at school and with the team." Pulling out a small photo and passing it around, he explained that it had been taken only a few months ago as an anniversary present for Hiroshi's parents.

Turning a glare on the pair of boys sitting across from him, Sanada asked something that was bothering him as he waited for his turn to see the little picture of Mika. "So why exactly are we only hearing about Mika-chan now? Do you not think that we deserved to hear about our niece?"

Masaharu set his jaw defiantly as he met Sanada's eyes. "Look me in the eye, Fukubuchou, and tell me honestly that you have ever thought that I would be a good dad. Look at me and tell me that you would have ever trusted me around children or thought that I would ever be capable of being a good role model and a responsible parent." When Sanada could not look him in the eye, Masaharu snorted in derisive amusement. "That's what I fuckin' thought. You just answered your own damn question about why Mika has been our secret for almost two years. But you know what? I can't really even be mad at you because it's my own damn fault that you think so little of me. As much as I want to be pissed at you, I know that I've never done a damn thing to make you think any better of me than you do. But maybe there's still time to change that."

"How so?" Yukimura sounded a bit subdued, leaving no doubt in Hiroshi's or Masaharu's minds that he had thought the same thing as Sanada.

Adjusting his glasses slightly as he handed Mika's photo back Masaharu, Hiroshi proposed the idea that he and Masaharu had come up with the night before. "Does anyone have plans Saturday? We thought we would invite you all over for dinner. That way you can meet Mika and see the house."

Akaya bit his lip for a moment before tentatively speaking up. "Well, I kind of have plans, but would it be ok for me to bring a guest with me?"

"I don't have a problem with you bringing- ah shit what's his name? It's right on the tip of my tongue. Red hair, plays for Fudomine I think?" Masaharu ran a hand through his hair as he desperately tried to remember the name of the person he was thinking of.

"How did you know I'm dating Kamio Akira? I thought 'Kira and I had managed to keep it a secret?" Akaya looked shocked, as did the three demons. Clearly they hadn't expected their baby to be dating anyone.

Masaharu smiled genuinely, which was something that the team wasn't exactly used to. "I've heard you on the phone with him before when I've been walking around before practice some afternoons. But as long as you're happy and he isn't an ass to you, then I'll stay out of things and treat him nicely. If he's willing to come along then he's more than welcome to."

"Cool! I'm sure that 'Kira will be ok with that since we had no idea what we were gonna do for dinner. He's spending the night at my place that night so it shouldn't be a problem." Akaya was very nearly bouncing in his seat in happiness as he pulled out his phone to text his boyfriend with the details.

Yanagi cleared his throat and spoke. "Well then, would I also be welcome to bring Sadaharu along with me? If you think you'll have enough room that is."

Yagyuu stood and walked over to stand directly in front of Yanagi. "If either you or Inui-san bring any of those disgusting juices anywhere near my home or my daughter I will personally kill you both. And I can assure you that the experience will be neither quick or painless. That being said, our dining room table can seat twelve so there is room to spare."

Marui popped his gum loudly. "I'll bring a cake for dessert if you want. Chocolate ok with everyone?"

"Thanks, I was gonna ask you to do that anyway. Chocolate will be fine." Masaharu stretched his arms back.

Jackal reached up to scratch the back of his neck as he looked at the time, they still had about twenty minutes before they needed to get to class. "So, do you need anyone else to bring anything Saturday? And what will dinner be?"

"Nah, dessert was really the only thing we were gonna need help with. As for what dinner will be, I'm leaning toward curry. I haven't had a chance to play around with my spice rack for a while." Masaharu smiled mischievously.

"Wait a second, Nioh is cooking dinner?" Marui didn't sound like he thought that was a smart idea.

"Of course I'm cooking, I'm the only one in our house who can. Hiroshi burns water. And yes, that is possible."

"At least I can work the coffee maker." Hiroshi defended himself as he sat back down.

Turning to glare at his partner, Masaharu pointed at Hiroshi to emphasize his point. "That thing is possessed. I'm convinced that it's personal and it just hates me."

Hiroshi patted Masaharu's knee. "Yes dear, I'm sure it is." The rest of the team burst into laughter at the look on Masaharu's face, even Sanada managed to snicker in amusement. By the time everyone had gotten the laughter out of their systems it was time to head to class, and the eight boys split up to face their lessons for the day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All right, third chapter is ready! Time for the team to meet Mika-chan.**

In no time at all Saturday rolled around and Masaharu couldn't wait for that evening. He loved cooking, and had wanted to share this with his team for some time. Of course, under any other circumstance, the rest of the Rikkai regulars probably wouldn't even dare touch anything Masaharu cooked, but tonight he would be able to show off for them. Smiling at the sound of laughter coming from the front yard through the open window, Masaharu looked up at the clock before deciding that he should probably head to the kitchen and get started on the curry for dinner so that they could be eating by about six.

"So you're sure it's ok for me to come along tonight?" Kamio asked his boyfriend as they walked to the corner where they were going to be meeting the rest of the Rikkai regulars.

Squeezing the red head's hand, Akaya bumped shoulders with Kamio as he answered with a bit of a laugh. "Yes I'm sure. Nioh-senpai wouldn't have invited you if it wasn't ok for you to come along. My senpai will not bite or kill you so relax ok? I'm nervous about this too, especially with how Buchou and Fukubuchou treat me like a little kid. It's time for them to see that I'm growing up and can stand on my own without them there to hold my hand all the time."

Kamio smiled and did his best to let the tension out of his shoulders. "So does that mean that you don't need me to hold your hand either?"

Akaya quickly switched from holding Kamio's hand to having his arm wrapped around the red head's waist. "You aren't going anywhere pal. I'm not letting go of you that easily."

Kamio laughed and leaned into Akaya's side as the rest of the group came into sight. "Good, I don't want you to."

"Oi, slowpokes, it's about damn time you got here. With how fast Kamio-kun is supposed to be I thought you two would beat the rest of us here." Marui teased with a smile as he saw the two younger boys join the group.

"We would have been here sooner Marui-senpai, but I know how slow you are so I didn't want to make you feel bad for being the last one here." Akaya jeered at the red haired tensai with the cake in his hands.

Kamio looked at the sheet cake that Marui was holding for a moment before deciding to join in on the banter. "So, Marui-san, what are the rest of us having for dessert?"

Marui gaped at Kamio in shock as the whole group fell silent for a moment. Kamio had on the most innocent expression he was capable of, and after a short moment, Jackal and Yukimura started snickering. This proved to be the catalyst for the rest, because in no time at all Akaya, Yanagi, Inui, and even Sanada began to laugh as well. Marui scowled at his fellow red head in an attempt to quell the laughs around him, but that plan only served to make Kamio start laughing along with everyone else. Sniffing haughtily as he tried his hardest to keep from busting up as well, Marui gave Kamio a look of mock contempt as he spoke. "If you don't want any chocolate cake after dinner, you could have just said so."

Fighting off yet another round of hysterics, Yukimura tried to regain his composure and take control of the situation. "Now, now you two, you can fight over the cake later, for now we should be on our way or we'll be late."

As the group of teens began heading toward the address that Masaharu and Hiroshi had given their teammates, Kamio heard Inui and Yanagi talking from behind him. "Well, now I know why Momo no longer has Kamio-kun as competition for Tachibana-chan's attention."

"Indeed. I admit, I was rather surprised to hear that Akaya was in a relationship with anyone, let alone someone who I had thought was straight. Either my data is failing me or my observational skills are getting rusty." Yanagi sounded a bit disappointed in himself.

Looking over his shoulder, Akaya did his best to reassure his senpai. "Did you ever consider the fact that I'm just getting really good at keeping things secret when I don't want you to know them senpai? I did have a whole year without you around to learn how to hide things from you when I don't want you to know them."

As the group of eight approached their destination, they saw something that made Sanada and Yukimura smile. There behind the little fence around the front yard was Hiroshi and Mika, and it appeared that Mika was learning to play tennis. Naturally, the racket that Mika was using was very nearly the same size that she was so she wasn't exactly doing a lot. Hiroshi was very patient though, and tossed tennis ball after tennis ball to Mika so that she could practice returning them. Yukimura liked that scene very much, it was only right for their next generation to be interested in tennis after all.

Unlocking the gate and stepping into the yard, Sanada walked over to crouch next to Mika. Smiling gently at the little girl next to him, Sanada asked her if he could show her something. When Mika nodded, Sanada placed his hands on her shoulders and motioned for Hiroshi to throw another ball. As the tennis ball came toward the pair, Sanada gently guided Mika's return so that the little girl hit the ball directly back to Hiroshi with just a bit more force than she had been showing previously. As her papa nearly fell backward in surprise while catching the ball, Mika dropped the racket she had been holding and spun to give Sanada a hug as she cheered in delight. "I did it! I hit the ball back to Papa! Thank you for helping me."

Sanada hugged Mika back as he smiled gently, really the little girl was just too cute to resist. Behind him, he could hear his teammates snickering about how soft he was getting. Sanada wanted to come up with some sort of witty retort, but in truth they weren't entirely wrong, Sanada did most certainly have a soft spot for the little girl in his arms and he had only just met her. Pulling back to look down at Mika, Sanada gently patted her on the head as he spoke to her. "You're welcome, I was happy to help you. What's your name?" Obviously Sanada already knew it, but he figured that asking Mika directly would be best.

Bowing cheerfully just like her teacher had taught her, Mika introduced herself. "My name is Yagyuu Mika, what's your name?"

"My name is Sanada Genichirou, but you can just call me Uncle Gen ok?"

Mika blinked up at him in disbelief. "Really?"

Sanada chuckled softly as he ruffled her hair gently. "Yes really."

Yagyuu smiled slightly as he started to gather up the tennis balls from the grass. "Mika, can you do something for me?"

Spinning to face one of her fathers, Mika titled her head to the side slightly as she answered. "What is it Papa?"

"Can you take your Uncle Bunta inside and show him where the kitchen is so he can put up the cake he brought us for dessert?"

Turning to look at the group of people she didn't know, Mika zeroed in on Marui at the site of the cake carrier in his hands. Walking up to the red head, Mika titled her head back to look up at the shortest of the boys. "Are you my Uncle Bunta?"

Marui smiled. "Yep, that's me alright."

Mika frowned in concentration. "Well, I can't hold your hand since you have to hold the cake, so just stay close ok? I don't want you to get lost."

Marui bit back a laugh as he agreed and followed the little girl into the house. As he slipped off his shoes in the entryway, Marui saw that Mika had pulled out a pair of slippers for him to wear while visiting. Thanking the little girl with another smile, Marui followed Mika to the kitchen where he was greeted by the sight of Masaharu wearing a white apron while staring at a bowl of fruits and vegetables. "Hey Nioh, where should I put the cake?"

Reaching out to pull a few things from the bowl of produce, Masaharu answered his friend without looking up. "I made some space in the fridge for it, hopefully it'll be enough. Could you grab the steak while you're in there? I'll need to get that started soon. I already have the potatoes and carrots going, but I think I'll add some chopped red peppers too."

Mika cheered as she climbed onto the stool next to the island in the center of the massive kitchen. "Yay! Red peppers are yummy. Guess what Daddy? I hit the ball back to Papa today! Uncle Gen helped me do it but I still did it. Can I have a piece of pepper since I did a good job learning tennis today?"

Masaharu smiled at his daughter. "That's great princess, I'm very proud of you. If you want some red pepper though you have to go wash your hands. Go on and use the sink in the bathroom since your step stool is already in there and I'll have a piece waiting for you when you're done."

"Okay!" Mika chirped as she climbed down before dashing out of the kitchen.

"She's adorable, and very well behaved. Though with Yagyuu as her papa I can't say that the manners surprise me that much." Marui hopped up onto a space on the counter that was as far as he could get from anywhere that Masaharu would need to be.

Masaharu scowled playfully at Marui as he chopped up the three red peppers he had picked from the bowl. "I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of teaching my little girl to behave herself. Just because I don't follow the rules most of the time doesn't mean I can't teach her to do it. And for the record, I never prank anyone or do anything that could be considered bad when Mika is with me because I want to be a good role model for her."

Marui smiled at his friend as he nodded. It wasn't so hard to believe that Masaharu could behave himself if he so chose, how else could he imitate Hiroshi so well off the tennis court? Setting aside a small piece of red pepper for Mika, Masaharu reached for the steaks that Marui had pulled out so that he could get them started in the skillet sitting on the stove. Placing the raw meat down with his bare hands, Masaharu moved to throw out the wrapping and wash his hands. His quest for the sink was nearly stopped short when Hiroshi and the rest of the boys entered the kitchen with Mika close at their heels. Looking at the group of boys, Masaharu motioned for them to let him through to the sink as he spoke to Hiroshi. "I would love to give you a hug right now but I just touched raw meat. And are those grass stains on your knees Hiroshi?"

Looking down at the knees of his pants, Hiroshi saw that they had indeed turned green. "Yes those are grass stains. I'll go change into clean pants."

Smirking lightly as the gentleman turned to go put different pants on, Masaharu called out a thank you to his lover as well as the location of the stain pre-treater in the laundry room. Looking over his shoulder as he washed his hands, Masaharu saw that most of his teammates were trying very hard not to laugh, and surprisingly Yukimura looked like he would be the first to lose that battle. Turning to face the blue haired youth as he dried his hands, Masaharu cocked one eyebrow as he spoke to his captain. "Something funny Yukimura?"

Smiling genially at his teammate, Yukimura took a seat at the island next to Mika as he spoke. "You make an excellent housewife Nioh-kun."

Masaharu stuck his tongue out at Yukimura as he returned to the stove and opened up the spice cabinet above the appliance. "Just because I do the cooking and the laundry does not make me a housewife. Yes I wash the dishes too, but Hiroshi does the rest of the cleaning. I don't touch a dust rag or a vacuum unless I'm forced to."

Marui snorted in amusement from his perch on the counter. "I don't doubt that. I remember what your room at your mom's house looked like. You sure that Yagyuu doesn't mind cleaning up after you?"

Returning to the kitchen just in time to hear his name be mentioned, Hiroshi took the opportunity to answer Marui. "I don't mind at all, Masaharu keeps me very well fed, so cleaning the house is hardly unfair for me to do."

Turning to look at his boyfriend, Masaharu's hand stilled above the curry pot that he had been about to add cinnamon to. "Hiroshi, are those my jeans?"

Hiroshi smirked slightly as he began to pull dishes out of a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. "Yes they are, but they fit me and they were the first pair I grabbed."

Before Masaharu could respond to that, Mika piped up from her seat. "Daddy, Papa looks good in your clothes doesn't he?"

Biting his tongue in an effort to refrain from making a dirty comment in front of his little girl, Masaharu simply nodded in agreement as he turned his focus back to the pot of curry in front of him. From the corner of his eye, Masaharu saw Akaya and Marui both trying to hold back their own snickers of amusement.


End file.
